Name Changes
For Current Students
The Office of the Registrar maintains students’ official academic records and personal information including names and gender in Banner, the University’s student information system. Official records are linked to a student’s legal name and gender per federal financial aid and reporting regulations.
Current students must submit a completed Name Change Request Form as well as one piece of government-issued documentation (driver’s license, passport, marriage license, divorce decree, etc.) in order to change their legal name in the student information system (see below for information on chosen names). The documentation must include the new legal name. The completed form and supporting documentation may be scanned and emailed, or faxed to the Office of the Registrar.
For instructions on how to change email address display names, please review Instructions for changing the name on your Gmail account. For assistance, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu. Please note that students’ NetID and login will remain the same after a name change.
Students wishing to change their gender in the student information system should submit one piece of documentation (e.g., driver’s license, passport, court order, signed doctor’s letter) noting the gender marker change to the Office of the Registrar.
For Alumni
If a name has changed since a student graduated, duplicate or replacement diplomas will reflect the name as of when the student graduated from Georgetown Law. Alumni who wish to change their name in our records or on their diploma should submit a completed Name Change Request Form as well as one piece of government-issued documentation (driver’s license, passport, marriage license, divorce decree, etc.). in order to change their legal name in the student information system. The documentation must include the new legal name. The completed form and supporting documentation may be scanned and emailed, or faxed to the Office of the Registrar.
Chosen Name Policy
Georgetown University recognizes that many of its students use a name other than their legal name. Current students may elect to use a chosen first name other than their legal name without documentation. The legal name will still be used for official transcripts, diploma(s), financial aid documents, payroll, and other instances where a legal name is required by law or University policy.
Students may enter a chosen first name in lieu of their legal first name online in GU Experience. Legal last names may not be changed without documentation. As long as the use of the chosen name is not for the purposes of misrepresentation, the University acknowledges that a chosen name may be used where possible. Although students are generally free to determine the chosen names they wish to be known by, inappropriate use of the chosen name policy (including but not limited to avoiding a legal obligation or misrepresentation) may be cause for denying the request. Georgetown reserves the right to remove a chosen name if it is used inappropriately. Chosen names are limited to alphabetical characters, a hyphen, and a space.
It is expected that students will request no more than once to elect a chosen name while enrolled at Georgetown. Students may always revert back to using their legal first name instead of use of a chosen name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Log into GU Experience, click the “Personal Information” link on the Student Information card, then click the “Edit” icon next to “Personal Details”. Enter your preferred first name in the “Chosen Name” field and click “Update” to submit changes.
Students who matriculated in 2021-2022 and prior academic years will need to enter their chosen name in GU Experience. Beginning Fall 2022, preferred names provided by applicants to Admissions will appear in GU Experience.
- Canvas – Canvas class rosters may take 3-4 hours to update with the chosen name. Please note that if you change your name directly in Canvas, your Canvas name will not be able to update with the chosen name you entered in GU Experience. Faculty do not have access to view student gender on their class rosters. SeatGen is auto enabled in Canvas courses to add pronouns, phonetic name pronunciation, and titles. For assistance with Canvas, please contact the Law Center Service Desk at lawhelp@georgetown.edu.
- Email – You may change your email address display name to reflect a chosen name. For instructions, please review Instructions for changing the name on your Gmail account. For assistance, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu. Please note that your NetID and login will remain the same.
- GOCard – You may have your chosen name appear on a physical GOCard or GOCard Mobile ID. Please note that if you have already received a physical GOCard, we encourage you to obtain a Mobile ID to reflect the chosen name. See https://gocard.georgetown.edu/getting-started/.
- Hoya360 – Students will see chosen and legal names, and legal gender in their Hoya360 profile. Hoya360 profile information is visible only to the student. Name changes will be reflected within 24 hours. For assistance, please contact lawhelp@georgetown.edu.
- Microsoft Account – Chosen names from GU Experience will not automatically appear in Microsoft accounts. For assistance in changing your name, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu.
- MyAccess – Your chosen name will appear automatically in GU Experience class rosters. Faculty do not have access to view student gender on their class rosters.
- StaRez – Chosen names from GU Experience will not automatically appear in the StaRez system for students living on campus. However students have the option to enter a preferred name in the StaRez system. For assistance, please contact LawHousing@georgetown.edu.
- Symplicity – Chosen first name and legal last name will be provided to employers participating in recruitment programs. Note however that transcripts will reflect a student’s full legal name. Students may change their gender in Symplicity without documentation, but should contact OCS at lawcareerstrategy@georgetown.edu, OPICS at opics@law.georgetown.edu, or Academic Affairs at lawacademicaffairs@georgetown.edu for assistance with changing their name.
- University Directory – Chosen names should appear in the GU Directory within 24 hours. For assistance, please contact the UIS Help Desk at help@georgetown.edu.
- Zoom – Students may change their Zoom profiles to reflect a chosen name. To access your Zoom profile, sign in to the Zoom web portal and Profile to change the display name.
- Special note for students who are University employees: You will need to update your Name in GMS if you wish to have a chosen name continue to appear in University systems after graduation. Log into GMS, click on Personal Information, then Preferred Name. Uncheck the ‘Use Legal name as Preferred Name’ box and enter your chosen name into the fields below. Click Submit to save changes. Within 1-2 business days, your chosen name should be updated and reflected in core Georgetown systems such as GMS, the GU Directory, Box, and Google Apps. For assistance, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu.
Your legal name will be used for records in student health, financial aid, billing statements, official transcripts, certifications, diplomas, payroll, and other instances where a legal name is required by law. Since student addresses are tied to legal names, any notices sent to your home address will use the legal name.